National Dish Turkmenistan: Gurtly Gatyk (Recipe)
In this article
Gurtly Gatyk is fresh yoghurt with dried yoghurt crumbled into it, which sounds redundant and is not: the gurt dissolves slowly, releasing concentrated salt and sourness into the mild gatyk. Garlic and herbs go in, and it comes to the table as a cooling counterweight to heavy meat dishes.
About Gurtly Gatyk
Gurtly Gatyk is a creamy Turkmen soured-milk dish, enriched with the characteristic dried yoghurt balls known as gurt. Fresh, thick gatyk yoghurt is mixed with crumbled gurt, garlic and fresh herbs, refreshing, salty-sour and wonderfully uncomplicated to prepare. In Turkmenistan it accompanies many meals as a cooling side.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 300 g thick plain yoghurt (gatyk; Greek yoghurt as a substitute)
- 2–3 balls of gurt (dried soured-milk snack; feta or crumbled fresh cheese as substitutes)
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- A little water or milk, to thin
- Fresh herbs, chopped (dill or coriander)
- Salt, to taste
Shopping for the ingredients
Gurt is sold in Central Asian and Turkish shops as kurut or qurut, usually as hard white balls. Feta crumbled fine is the practical substitute and brings the same salty sharpness. Use a genuinely thick yoghurt, not a runny one.
Preparing the dish
Soak or crush the gurt to break it down. It is rock hard and will not dissolve on its own. Twenty minutes in a little warm water softens it enough to crumble. Grate the garlic finely so it disperses.
Step-by-step instructions
- Soak the gurt balls in a little warm water for 20 minutes to soften.
- Crush or crumble them as finely as you can.
- Beat the yoghurt until smooth.
- Stir in the softened gurt and its soaking water.
- Add the grated garlic.
- Thin with a little water or milk to a thick but spoonable consistency.
- Fold through the chopped herbs.
- Taste for salt — it may need none — and chill before serving.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Gurtly gatyk is naturally gluten-free. It is dairy through and through and cannot be made lactose-free with the traditional ingredients, though a plant yoghurt with crumbled plant cheese gives a comparable dish.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
The dish is vegetarian. Both components are cultured dairy rather than rennet cheese, which is worth knowing. A plant-based version works with thick coconut or oat yoghurt and a salty plant cheese.
More tips and tricks
Soak the gurt properly, or you get hard fragments rather than a smooth dish. Taste before adding any salt, gurt is very salty and the dish often needs none. And chill it; gurtly gatyk is meant to cool you down.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Cucumber diced through makes it closer to a cacık. More garlic suits it. A drizzle of oil and a scatter of dried mint is a common finish.
Ingredient substitutions
Feta or a dry salty cheese substitutes for gurt. Greek yoghurt replaces gatyk directly. Ayran thinned down works if you want a drinkable version.
Drink pairing ideas
Green tea accompanies meals throughout Turkmenistan. Water is welcome given the salt. It is itself close to a drink when thinned, and often served that way in summer.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve gurtly gatyk cold in a bowl with herbs scattered on top, alongside plov, grilled meat or bread. It is a cooling side rather than a dish in its own right, and it is spooned over or eaten alongside rather than on its own.
A bit of history
Cultured dairy is the backbone of Central Asian eating, and using dried gurt to season fresh yoghurt is a thrifty, characteristic move: the preserved product returns to the fresh one, adding what months of drying concentrated. The same logic appears in Tajik qurutob. It offers a genuine window onto Turkmen cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Gurtly Gatyk
Gurtly Gatyk is thick yoghurt with softened dried gurt, garlic and herbs stirred through. Soak the gurt first, taste before salting, and serve it cold beside heavy food.
